Grout projecting apparatus



Juiy 6, 194s.' J, M. CROM 2,444,811

GROUT PROJECTING APPARATUS Filed June 16, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- July 6, 1948. J. M. cRoM 2,444,81 1

GROUT PROJECTING APPARATUS l Filed June .16, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 6, 1948 UNITED M'sTATIEs PATENT oF FICE GROUT PROJECTING APPARATUS John M. cram, Washington, D. o. Application June 16, 1944, Serial No. 540,659

, 6 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for coating relatively large surfaces by pneumatically projecting semi-liquid compositions thereonto. The apparatus, as herein'illustrated and described, is particularly applicable to the projecting of waterproofing compositions onto the bottom :and side walls of ditches, dams and the like although its use is not conned to any specific material or constructional work. In my Pate-nt .2,176,891- is described a machine of this nature for Iautomatically coating passages and tunnels whereas my present invention herein disclosed relates to paratus for facilitating the manual distribution and placing of grout and the like pneumatically over and onto various surfaces to be coated.

Excavations and the-like for storing and conveying liquids are commonly coated or lined with a,4 semi-liquid cement composition or grout which is pneumatically conveyed through a conduit or hose and forcibly projected into place froni a nozzle. The areas to be thus treated are usually of substantial proportions and the manual manipulation of the hose and nozzle over these areas tothe extent required for even distribution of the grout is a laborious task. Furthermore, the size of hose and nozzle which an operator can handle inthese operations as at present carried out is quite `limited las is also the electivearea that can be covered by the` nozzle spray When the operator .works from his usual position on the surface being lined. The air pressure employed in the-hose is considerable and a hose of 11/2 inch diameter with the nozzle held at a distance of :about four feet from the surface being treated has been the maximum capacity heretofore practicable. My improved apparatus not only provides for the employment ofa two inch hose and the holding of thenozzle atabout eight feet fromv the point of deposit but furthermore rene ders the use thereof easier for ,the operator than the smaller hose :as heretofore employed. It will be readily apparent that a two inch hose carries about two times as much material as a 1% inch hose and that the spraying area covered by the nozzle at a spacing of eight .feet is approximately four times that covered at f our feet, thereby greatly increasing coating operation. ratus which I have invented for use in this operation is adapted not only to support the hose and nozzle for easy manipulation over the area to be treated but also provides a carriage for supporting the operator and conveying him over such area. The production of.. an apparatus ofthis nature :an improved grout projecting ap" the eiciency and speed of thev The novel machine. or appa-V .passage of the vehicle therealong.

for the purpose described comprises one of the Means is also provided in the vehicle for support ing the grout carrying conduits ina manner permitting free movement of the nozzle f portions thereof along the tracks adjacent to the carriages. E'ach operator manipulates the nozzle from his position onfthe carriage and, since thev latter can traverse the entire area to be treated, the operator can with great convenience distribute the grouting Vmaterial uniformly over such area and at greatly increased speed as above described. Furthermore, by so spacing or staggeri-ng the operators transversely across the surface to be treated that they can treatv local areas which directly adjoin each other transversely of the surface it is possible completely to line relatively long surf-aces, such as ditches, at one The proyduction of such ran improved apparatus for the purpose described comprises avfurther object ofv .the invention.

These and other features of the invention willi be best understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which- 1 Fig. 1 is a plan View of an apparatus embodying my invention, f

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof,v

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified construe-1' tion, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof. Referring rst tothe form of invention illustrated in Figs. 1 .and 2 `of the drawing, I0 indiis formed by projecting cementitious composition on and covering the surface determined thickness.

One form of improved apparatus which I have invented and which Iemploy for performing the lining operation comprises a vehicle I6 preferably mounted on'wheels I8 for movement longiand mesh to a prescribed. Each track is pivotally supported at its V bottom and on collars 24 secured to a pair. of posts 26 carried bythe vehicle and having a platform 28 cooperating therewith. The outer end` of each track is supported by a pair of cables' "f 30 anchored to the free end of the track extending rearwardly over sheaves 32 on the posts and anchored to the rear side of the platform at Mi Each platform and its track are counterbalanced as by sand bags 3B piled on the rear portion of the platform. The track is inclined parallel with the surface l2 and is ordinarily spaced several feet from such surface. The spacing of the track can be varied if desired by adjusts ing the collars 24 along the posts and lengthening or shortening the cables Sil.

vEach carriage 2 is supported on Wheels 32 riding on the tracks 20, yand comprises -a triangular frame extending upwardly and including a shaftt at its top portion extending transversely ofthe track. The grout carrying hose 4t2 extends upwardly from a point, rearwardly of the vehicle hover a sheave 44 on `a shaftA 46, carried by the posts 2E; and from thence over a sheave 48 on and movable along the shaitll, the nozzle end of the hose hanging downward from the sheave lill to. a point adjacent to a platform u on theV carriage. l

The purpose of the platform 5u is to. support theoperator who can stand thereon and ccn-y veniently manipulate the. hose nozzle 52 from the forward side of the carriager substantially as shown in Fig'. 2. The Weight of the hose and nozzle are taken by the sheave Q8 and the iunctlons required of the operator comprise the manual directing of the nozzle over the arca to be treated: `and manipulating of the hand valve Eef which controlsthe mixing Water ircmthe hose 5G. .It will also be apparentv that free lateral movement of the hose transversely of the track is; permitted by the loose mounting of the sheave 4k for movement on and along the shaft lill. The carriage can bef moved upwardly and along the' trackmanually by a. cable 58 anchored to. time free, end oi the. track and wound about a drum En on the carriage.

The apparatus can be employed with one pair of tracks 2|) and one carriage 22' in which. ease the yoperator adjusts the carriage. along the tracks and over the surface I2 to be treated, or a4 plu-- rality of pairs of tracks and carriages can be employed as illustrated inlFig. 1. In the latter case employing three tracks, and; carriages, the three carriages are adiusted progressively tostaggered positions lalong the tracks as illustrated andy wherei-nthe entire surface I2 can be reached by' the nozzles on the carriages thus positioned. Epacnoperator is required to treat the portie-nor the surface t2 adjacent to his carriage and the. arrangement. is suc-h that the entire surface l2 can be lined at one passage of the vehicle tnerev, along and without substantial adjustment of. the carriages on their tracks.

Int-Figs. 3' and 4 I have, illustrated a modified form ofthe invention. This construction ernploys ya vehicle t6', a track 211' and other like` parts,y substantially as illustrated in Eig-s. l and 2 to a position i Apedestal 81: on the vehicle.

4 and indicated by like reference characters primed. In this case the grout carrying conduit is supported independently of the carriage B2, the sole purpose of the latter being to support the operator .above the surface l2. The grout carrying conduit in this case includes a straight and rigid member 64 from the free top end of which projects the flexible hose portion 66 carrying the nozzle 68. The member 64 can be a pipe serving as a portion of the conduit for it can comprise simply a support for carrying the hose therein and therealong.

v-The member 64 extends upwardly and outwardly fromk the vehicle above and substantially parallel with the track 2D and is supported on a The pedestal is mountedon the carriage for pivotal movement about its vertical axis and carries two grooved wheels B8 and Ill engaging the member 64 above and below whereby permitting the member to move longitudinallyA off itself Land also` to swing vabout the'pedestal as 'a center. The member M iscounterbalanced by a Weight 12, a cable 'H being connected to the'weig-ht and extending up` Wardly therefrom over a sheave 16 and 'from thence to and `attached to the member at 18. The pedestal and member are also supported by anchoring cables vSil, attached to the platform` 28 and to the top ci the pedestal. Y

The operation of, this form o the invention is. substantially the same as above described in connection with the form shownin Figs. 1 and 2. The operator stands on the directs the nozzle ,68 which hangs by gravity from the top end of the conduit member 64. The weight 'l2 is adapted so to counterbalance the member that .it normally remains` in any position of' adjustment and be either moved longitudinally or swung laterally about the pedestal by the operator. It will be noted that in this form of the invention theprovided with only one carriage t is substantially wider` than thecarriages 27; shown in Fig. 1. Suchvehicle I6l is and that this carriage construction gives the operator a wide .latitude for movement of' the-nozzle'from andiorwardly of the carriageso that he can cover a substantial portion of .the surface l2 before requiringad-v justment; of the carriage along its track- It willi also be apparent that a plurality of vehicles can be employed with their operators disposed lnthe arrangement. illustrated in Fig. 1 wherebyr an entire surface-can be lined atene-'passage of the vehicle therealongin the same man-ner as a plurality of operators carried' on the single vehiclel-(` project groutfrom their respective positions and onto their respective-and adjoining'v areas'as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention; what -ll byk Letters claim as new and desire to secure PatentA of' the United States is:

l. In a grout projecting apparatus, a vehicle adapted for movement alonga predetermined path, a: track carried by able along the trackbeyond" the vehicle, a platform on the carriage for supporting an operator, a grout conducting conduit includingr a ilexible hosefrearwardly or and supporting a nozzle pending therefrom relative to.- and` independently of' the carriage, the

platform all' can with convenience the vehicle and projecti ing laterally therefrom, a carriage on and" movnozzle being adapted to be manually guided and directed by an operator on the platform.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 in which said means on the vehicle above the track and platform is supported on the carriage.

3. In a grout projecting apparatus, a vehicle, a track carried by and projecting outwardly therefrom, a carriage on and movable along the track beyond the vehicle, a platform on the carriage for supporting an operator, a grout conducting hose, a nozzle on the free end of the hose, a frame on the vehicle including a shaft above the platform and extending transversely7 of the track, and a sheave on and movable along the shaft vand supporting the hose depending therefrom with the nozzle supported solely by the hose and freely movable therewith relative to and independently of the carriage, the nozzle being adapted to be manually guided and directed by an operator on the platform.

4. In a grout projecting apparatus, a vehicle, a track carried by and projecting outwardly from the vehicle, a carriage on and movable along the track beyond the vehicle, a platform on the carriage for supporting an operator, a grout conducting conduit including a nozzle at its free end and a flexible hose adjacent to and supporting the nozzle, a straight and rigid member projecting outwardly from the vehicle along and above the track and supporting a portion of the conduit with said flexible hose depending from the free end thereof above the track and forming the sole support for the nozzle, and means supporting the member on the vehicle for pivotal movement about a vertical axis and movement longitudinally of itself whereby permitting the nozzle to move laterally of the track and follow the carriage in its movement along the track, the nozzle being adapted to be manually guided and directed by an operator on the platform.

5. In a grout projecting apparatus, a wheeled vehicle adapted for movement along a predetermined path, a track supported at its inner post extending upwardly from the vehicle, a grout conducting conduit including a flexible hose carrying and forming the sole support of a nozzle on the free end of the hose, and means including the post for supporting the conduit with the hose depending therefrom from a point above the track and with the nozzle supported solely by and at the free end of the hose and freely movable therewith relative to and independently of the carriage, the nozzle being adapted to be manually guided and directed by an operator on the platform.

6. In a grout projecting apparatus, a wheeled vehicle adapted for movement along a predetermined path, :a plurality of tracks supported at their inner ends on the vehicle and projecting laterally outward therefrom in spaced and substantially parallel relation, a carriage on and movable along each track beyond the vehicle, a platform on each carriage for supporting an operator, a grout conducting conduit associated with each track and including a flexible hose carrying and forming the sole support of a nozzle on the free end of the hose, and means for supporting the conduits on the vehicle with each hose depending from a point above its track and with its nozzle supported solely by and at the free end of the hose and freely movable therewith relative to and independently of the adiacent carriage, the nozzle being adapted to be manually guided and directed by an operator on the platform.

JOHN M. CROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS j Number Name Date 1,239,074 Bagnall Sept. 4, 1917 1,297,082 Brown Mar. 11 1919 2,176,891 Crom Oct. 24, 1939 2,313,082 McDonald Mar. 9, 1943 end on the vehicle and projecting laterally outward therefrom, a carriage on and movable along the track beyond the vehicle, a platform on the carriage for supporting an operator, a

OTHER REFERENCES Construction Methods, of June 1936, page 45. 

